Not Quite A Fairytale
by IWantToBeAWriter
Summary: 'Then again, she thought, as she collapsed on the couch and switched on the television, that David Nolan certainly did seem nice.' Mary Margaret has always been a firm believer in true love, in destiny. And it's about time she got her happy ending. Au. No Curse. Normal people, normal town. Snowing. MMB/DN. Will be multi-chap.
1. Setting Up Decorations

Not Quite A Fairy-tale

_Chapter 1: Setting up decorations_

Mary Margaret Blanchard was a big believer in what was known as _'true love'. _She always had been, ever since she was a young girl who had no clue about the world around her. She had always firmly believed that true love was working on each person, pushing you in the direction of the person whom you were meant to be with, guiding you on your way to them. It didn't always happen right away, she knew that, but in the end, everyone would get that one special person that was destined for them.

You might say that she believed in true love as a source of comfort, to ease her sadness when dates went horrifically wrong as it gave her faith in the new coming day. And honestly, you might be right. However, as she woke up that Friday morning, her head fresh with thoughts of her diastrous date with Dr Whale, it was her belief in true love that cheered her up.

Of course, barely seconds later, after a satisfied smile had creeped it's way onto her face, did she remember that on that particular day she was taking her class to the hospital, to set up their decorations and take part in the volunteer outreach programme. And of course, the hospital, was where Dr Whale worked.

Sighing heavily, she sat up in her bed, and glanced towards her clock, which was on the right of her; it was time for her to get ready for school.

Mary Margaret loved working as a teacher. She taught 15 wonderful, behaved children (of course, some less behaved than others), and teaching was the only thing that had ever came natural to her. She had skimmed over the idea of becoming a vet, or a doctor, seeing as she was fairly interested in science, however, her heart had been taken by teaching, and she had always been taught to follow her heart.

There wasn't a child in her class that she didn't love; they were all amazing and talented in their own way. But, if she was being honest, young Henry Mills did have a soft-spot in her heart. He seemed to go out of his way to make sure that everything was going well, and, he seemed one of the few children in her class that seemed to care about her as more than just a teacher; he saw her as a person. He was also very bright (when he wanted to be), and she had learned the hard way that she under-estimated him quite a lot; him stealing her credit-card and running off to Boston to find his birth-mother made her realise that.

She wasn't surprised when she arrived to school that morning to see Henry already sitting in her classroom, editing the banners that had been made the previous day by him and other pupils.

"Good morning Henry," she said, closing her door and walking round to her desk. The young boys head shot up; apparently he hadn't heard her come in.

"Miss Blanchard!" He exclaimed, his cheeks going slightly red. "Sorry, I just wanted to finish, and you weren't here, and the janitor must have left the door unlocked.." He trailed off, looking at her catiously, as if frightened he was going to get told off.

"It's fine," she told him, with a smile. "As long as you're just working on the banners, it's alright."

"Okay," he said, looking relieved. "I've nearly finished, I didn't have much left to do, but I didn't want to leave it with no color."

"I bet it looks amazing," she told him honestly.

At 8:45, she ushered in the rest of her class. Many of them seemed very excited about their trip to the hospital, but that was probably because they were going to be missing a day of school.

The class arrived at the hospital at around 10:30-11. They had spent an amount of time going over how to act at the hospital, what they were going to do, and how to behave. Henry didn't think he needed to hear all of it. He knew that their were patients coming in and out of the hospital, people with injuires and diseases, and he didn't need to be told not to shout or run. He didn't complain though. He knew Miss Blanchard's words would benefit a few of his classmates, and he had too much respect for her to question her decision of explaining rules.

Before they set up their decorations, they had to endure a 'brief' talk with Dr Whale. Henry didn't like Dr Whale much. He acted fake, treating them as if they were small children who didn't understand anything and had to be talked too in soft, child-like voices; Miss Blanchard never spoke to them like that.

Miss Blanchard, it seemed, agreed with Henry, or so it seemed. Her lips were in a thin line when Dr Whale was talking, and she didn't seem too impressed. It was rare for his teacher to be annoyed. She was standing next to where Henry was sitting, her hand on the back of his chair. Every now and then, when Dr Whale bored him or went off topic, he glanced towards his teacher, seeing what she thought, and was happy when her face matched what was going on inside his head.

"Miss Blanchard," he whispered, out the corner of his mouth.

"Yes?" She whispered back, her eyes tearing away from the Dr and looking down towards him.

"When are we going to put the banners up? This talk is kind of boring now."

"I don't know," she mumured, frowning. "He said it was going to be brief. I don't think you need to hear why washing your hands is important; you are all 11 after all. Then again.." Her eyes glanced towards a few pupils in the front row. Henry coughed to cover up a laugh.

Eventually, they began to set up the banners and posters. Henry dragged his first one towards one side of the hospital lobby, planning to hang it up above the window. However, he couldn't reach. He looked around awkwardly for his teacher, but saw that she was helping a girl with sticking up a poster, and so he decided that he would just have to do it on his own; he didn't fancy asking Dr Whale, who was currently ignoring all his classmates.

Unsure of what else to do, he grabbed a chair, and hauled it towards the window. He then took his banner and some tape in his hands, and stepped up onto it. Stretching of his tip-toes, his fingers reached where he wanted his banner to go. He bit his lip as he awkwardly tried to stick one side of his banner up.

"Come on," he muttered, balancing on the edge of his toes. "Come on!"

"Need a little help?"

Henry jumped, losing his footing slightly; the person who had spoke to him gently put their hand on his back, stopping him from falling, and helping him re-gain his balance.

He turned; standing behind him was a tall, blonde, blue-eyed man he had never seen before. The man reached out, taking the banner from his hands, and hung it above the window.

"Pass me some tape?" The man asked.

Henry nodded, tearing a bit off with his teeth, and handing it to the stranger.

The man took the tape off of him, and stuck one side of the banner above the window, in the place Henry had wanted it.

"Here's some more," Henry said, tearing another piece of tape off and handing it to the man, who stuck up the other side of the banner.

"There," the man said, admiring his work, before turning to Henry. "That alright?"

"Yup, thank you," Henry replied.

"No problem," the man said, offering Henry his hand and helping him off the chair.

"I'm Henry, are you new around here because I haven't seen you before, and I remember eveyone, and I don't remember seeing you," Henry said quickly, looking at the man with interest.

The man chuckled. "My name is David, David Nolan; and yes, I'm new here, I moved here about a month ago from New York."

"New York? Awesome." Henry replied, before frowning. "Not that I'm judging you or anything, but you don't really look like a doctor, so where're you hurt?"

"I, er, had a car accident about a week ago," the man, David Nolan, replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hit my head and was knocked unconcious, so I came here this morning for a check up. Gotta keep my stitches in for a while longer."

"Oh," Henry replied, his eyes locating the cut on the side of the man's head. "I hope you feel alright; I cracked my head open once and had to have stitches and it was terrible. I did get a cool scar out of it though."

David grinned. "I'll be alright; do you have any more banners I can help you put up before I go? I don't want you to go breaking your neck or something."

"Erm, yeah, I have another one, if you don't mind," Henry replied. "It's just over with my teacher, I'll go get it."

"Okay; let's hang it above the door, it'll look good there."

Mary Margaret had been avoiding talking to Dr Whale since they had arrived at the hospital; she had said hello, and greeted him with a not-so-real smile, but since the kids had rushed off to put up their decorations, she had tried to stay a good way away from him; it seemed like her class knew she was trying to avoid him, as every time he started coming in her direction for whatever reason, one of her pupils called her, thus making her move away from his presence.

The next student to 'save her' was Henry.

"Miss Blanchard!" He called, snapping her out of her daydream; Dr Whale was walking in her direction again, and she happily got out of his path.

"Yes Henry?" She asked, greeting the young boy with a smile.

"Can I have my other banner? I wanna stick it up above the door," he explained.

She sighed. "Henry, you can't reach up there, and I can't either, there's no way we can get it above the door."

"Yeah we can," he told her. "Mr Nolan's gonna put it up, he's tall enough."

"Mr Nolan?" She asked, wondering who on earth he was. She knew no one in Storybrooke with the last name Nolan.

"Yeah, he's over there, he helped me put up my first one," Henry explained, pointing towards the other side of the room.

A young man around her age (give or take a few), was leaning against the wall. He was tall (hanging a banner up above the door would be an easy task for him) and slim, his hair a golden shade of blonde. He was very good-looking, and she found it strange how she had never seen him before.

"He just moved here about a month ago," Henry explained, answering her un-asked question, probably seeing her confusion. "Anyway, can I have my banner?"

"Oh right, your banner," she replied, turning away from the stranger; she ruffled through the bag of decorations she was carrying, before pulling out Henry's other banner. She handed it to him, and watched as he ran back off to 'Mr Nolan'. Frowning, she followed him, feeling slightly worried that Henry was talking to a stranger, but curious about who he was too.

"Yeah, just there I think," Henry was saying when she reached them.

"Tape?" Mr Nolan asked, holding out his free hand.

"Here," Henry replied, handing him two strips.

"Thanks," Mr Nolan said, stretching up and sticking one side down. He then used the other strip to stick down the other side. "Done and dust-"

His words died in his throat as he turned around and saw Mary Margaret standing behind him. He hadn't expected to see anyone other than Henry, it seemed. His eyes, blue and somehow warm, locked on hers, and she shifted slightly. He continued to stare at her.

"Mr Nolan, this is my teacher Miss Blanchard. Miss Blachard, this is Mr Nolan, the man who has been helping me put my banners up," Henry said, causing both of them to move their eyes onto him.

"It's David," Mr Nolan replied, giving Henry a grin. "'Mr Nolan' makes me sound like my Father."

"Oh, okay. Miss Blanchard, this is David," Henry said, introducing them for a second time.

"Nice to meet you," David said, offering her his hand, and giving her a soft smile.

"Pleasure," she responded, taking his hand and shaking it. His hand was incredibly large against her own, small hand, yet suprisingly, their hands seemed to match. She wasn't sure why.

She pulled her hand out of his own, smiling slightly. "Henry said you're new in town?" She asked, placing a hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Yeah, I moved here about a month ago," he said nodding, burrying his hands in his pockets. "Got an apartment, got a job down at the animal shelter, and then, well, nearly got myself killed last week." He chuckled nervously.

"What? How?" She asked, her brow furrowed.

"Car accident," he admitted sheepishly. "It wasn't that bad, my car just skidded off the road and I hit my head on the windscreen; no damage to the car luckily, but I was not so lucky and was knocked unconcious. Needed stitches."

Her eyes glance to his head, seeing his injury. "Ouch," she said, wincing.

"Miss Blanchard! Miss Blanchard!"

She glanced around and saw one of her pupils struggling with a pair of sissors.

"Looks like I'm wanted," she said, taking her hand off Henry's shoulder and looking into David's eyes. "It was nice meeting you David."

"You too, Miss Blanchard," he said smiling, and she realised she hadn't told him her name.

"It's Mary Margaret," she said, tucking some of her black hair behind her ear.

"Well, nice meeting you, Mary Margaret," he corrected himself. "I best be off, if you don't need me anymore," he said, turning to Henry.

"No, you can go," Henry said, giving his approval.

"Well, bye," he said, smiling at Henry, and then looking up to Mary Margaret. "I hope you two have a nice day."

The end of the day came, and Mary Margaret had managed to avoid Dr Whale completely. Well, after meeting David she had given up on the whole avoiding thing, and forgot about Whale entirely. The last time she laid eyes on him was when she was saying goodbye and leaving through the hospital door, escourting her class back to school.

They arrived back to school 5 minutes before the day ended, during which she gave out homework _(which was just to write up a brief explanation of what they had done that day) _and cleaned up the small amount of mess.

When the end of day bell came, she said goodbye to her class, wishing them a happy weekend, which she was desperate for. Henry helped her bring her bags to her car (which she was very greatful for), and then he set off on his way home.

She arrived at her apartment, leaving her things in her car (she'd come and get them some other time), and entered her home. It felt lonely. She thought about the offer she had given Emma the night before, offering up her spare-room; she didn't ask just for Emma's benefit, she'd asked for her benefit too. Having a friend, someone important in her life was something she craved. And at the moment, the only friend she seemed to have was an 11 year old boy, which was very depressing. Then again, she thought, as she collapsed on the couch and switched on the television, that David Nolan certainly did seem nice.


	2. David Nolan

_A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews so far! This is the first time I have written an OUAT fanfiction, and I was slightly nervous as to how I would portray the characters. I want to keep them as similiar to how they are in the show as possible, so I hope I can do that. This chapter is in David's perspective and then Mary Margaret's.. I might alternate between characters to give an insight into what is going on inside that particular character's head, so I hope that doesn't bother anyone._

Not Quite A Fairy-tale

_Chapter 2: David Nolan_

Storybrooke was a nice enough place, Dvaid Nolan decided that Saturday morning as he walked along the streets of the small town. It was quiet, friendly, and everyone seemed to know eachother and get along. Of course, at the moment he was still the newbie of the town, and hadn't got around to meeting everyone yet; he had been living there a whole month and hadn't met half of the citizens of Storybrooke.

Of course, his presence had become more widely known after he had his accident; he met Dr Whale, who had treated him for his minor head injury, a few of the nurses at the hospital, and then yesterday, he had met young boy Henry and his rather delightful teacher, Miss Blanchard, or otherwise known as Mary Margaret.

He wasn't sure how he could call someone delightful after talking to them for barely a minute, but delightful seemed like the right word.

Mary Margaret was very beautiful, he had noticed, his breath catching the moment he had saw her; he had turned around, expecting to find Henry and Henry alone, but had instead been presented with black-haired, green eyed, Mary Margaret. She wasn't the obvious kind of beautiful, he had decided. But more of a.. simple, sweet kind; the kind of beauty that was unknown to the person who had it, to a person who was unaware that they were beautiful, and that was his favourite kind of beauty. She had been wearing a simple white blouse and green cardigan that was so simple and innocent, and was standing as if she was unsure how to hold her body; she didn't stand tall with confidence, like many girls he had known, but she stood small, if someone could stand that sort of way. It seemed like the only way to describe it.

Then of course, Henry had introduced them and everything began making sense, and he could finally tear his eyes away from her. She had spoke, her voice very soft and elegant, her hand moving onto Henry's shoulder.

Their brief meeting was over within seconds, and he found himself watching as she dissappeared off onto the other side of the hospital lobby, helping a pupil of hers. He then, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, dissappeared and left the hospital.

A passing car made David jump, snapping him out of his thoughts from the day before and bringing him back to the present. He sighed, shaking his head, before continuing on his way to his destination; Granny's.

He had been in Granny's a few times, more often than not on a weekday before he set out to work at the animal shelter. It was a small diner, very cosy and welcoming, and he found out that they did the best hot chocolate he had ever tasted. Not that it was hard, as the hot chocolate he had in New York was often made by himself in his old kitchen.

He reached Granny's, and pushed open the door, hearing the bell jingle above his head. A few people were spread out amongst the tables and booths, and as the door closed, he moved towards the counter.

"Mr No- I mean, David!"

He jumped, hearing his name, as very few people knew who he was. However, straight away he knew who that childish, sweet voice belonged to.

"Hey Henry," he said, turning around, seeing the small boy sitting inside a booth, opposite a young blonde woman.

"Are you okay? How's your head?" Henry asked him curiously. In front of him was a large mug of steaming hot chocolate and a game device that he had been playing on; David wasn't sure which gaming one it was.

"Not bad, not much pain now," he replied honestly.

The blonde woman sitting opposite Henry cleared her throat, giving Henry a pointed look.

Henry's eyes jerked towards her. "Sorry, David this is Emma, my birth-mom," Henry explained. "And Emma, this is David, the guy I told you about, the one who helped me and Miss Blanchard put my banners up."

Emma raised an eyebrow, looking towards David. "You're the guy who bought the last available apartment?"

David chuckled. "Yep, that's me."

Emma rolled her eyes. "God, I hate you already," she muttered.

Before David could ask her what she meant by that, he was next in line to order. He ordered himself a coffee, black, no sugars, and when he was given his own steaming mug, he turned to see that Henry had slid over making room for him, clearly asking him to sit with them. Unable to resist the young boys face, he grinned before sliding in next to him.

"Kid, you really need to get more kid friends, all your friends seem to be.. my age," Emma said, staring at her son, her face half amused and half concerned.

"Adults are easier to talk to," Henry replied, with a shrug, looking towards David. "And they are way more helpful."

"Whatever you say kid," Emma replied, taking a sip of her drink.

The bell above the door sounded, and Henry jumped out of his seet, staring at the door.

"Miss Blanchard's here!" He exclaimed happily.

David's breath caught in his throat. Casually, he turned his head to the door and saw the familiar face of Mary Margaret Blanchard making her way towards the booth, her green eyes and black hair unmissable.

"Hey," she said, as she sat down beside Emma. "Sorry I'm late, I didn't realise the time and.."

Her eyes met his, a look of sudden confusion crossing her pale features.

"David?" She asked, staring at him for a moment, her head tilted to one side.

"Hi," he replied, smiling slightly.

Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow, her eyes trailing off onto Henry, sending him a clear telapathic message,

"I hope you don't mind Miss Blanchard, but I asked David to sit with us," the child said.

"Oh no.. it's fine," she said quietly, her eyes drifting back to David, then down to the table in front of her.

"So," Henry said, after a moment of silence. He folded his arms, and looked at Emma. "Are you gonna ask her?"

Mary Margaret's head shot up again, her eyebrow raised in question. "Ask me what?"

"Kid.." Emma murmured, her voice trailing off, seeming slightly awkward.

"Emma wants to know if the spare room in your apartment is still available," Herny continued, ignoring pointed stares from the blonde woman across from him. "Sleeping in the car seems to be getting rough, even if she won't admit it.

David couldn't help but suddenly realise why Emma had referred to him as 'the guy who bought the last available apartment.' She had been looking for somewhere to live, but he had bought the last one. Part of him felt slightly sorry for her.

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, looking at her, a sympathetic look washing over her face. "Of course it's still available, it wouldn't have gone within a day."

Emma shrugged. "You never know," she said, her eyes drifting up to David. "Things round here seem to go very quickly."

"It's yours," Mary Margaret replied, smiling at her. "Of course it is."

Emma smiled thanks, before standing up and shifting past her. "Let me buy you a hot chocolate to say thank you; want anything kid?"

Henry scrambled out past David, following Emma up to the counter, muttering something about wanting a piece of chocolate cake.

"That was a nice thing to do," he said quietly, staring at Mary Margaret.

She raised her head, her eyes meeting his. She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I couldn't let her sleep in a car for all her life, now could I?"

"No," he replied. "But offering someone who you just met a room in your apartment is quite a big step."

Mary Margaret sighed, her fingers drumming on the table. "Henry needs him Mom around, he's been far happier now that she is. Not that Regina isn't an amazing Mom to him, but he just.. has always felt regected by his birth-mom. He's gotten close to her now, and offering her a pernament place to stay would keep her here for him," she told him honestly, staring towards the cue that Emma and Henry were in. "Plus, Emma's nice, and it would forever be on my concience if I didn't atleast offer her a home."

"It was very nice of you," David said softly, his blue eyes staring at her face. He saw a slight blush rise in her cheeks.

"Thank you."

He tore his eyes away from her, leaning back into the booth, and raising his coffee to his lips. For a moment it was quiet, however, it wasn't an awkward silence but a comfortable one. He smiled at her as he placed his mug back down on the table, a smile she immedaitely returned, and he felt a strange feeling surge through his body.

"So, what made you move to Storybrooke?" Mary Margaret asked curiously. "It's just that not many strangers usually come to this small town; the majority of the residents have either lived here since birth or have moved here because family are here."

He shrugged. "Wanted to get away, I suppose."

She titled her head. "Away from what?"

"Life," he admitted sheepishly. "My old life, in general. I just wanted to.. forget it."

"What happened?" She asked quietly, her eyes soft as she stared at him.

He bit his lip. "I kind of don't want to re-live it," he murmured. "Sorry."

His eyes began to feel moist slightly; he took a breath, and blinked, shaking his head, before looking up at her again. Her eyes were locked on him, a small frown across her face, yet she didn't seem angry, just concerned.

"I, erm, ended up deciding to move to Storybrooke because my Mother originally lived here, before she moved away when she got married to my Father. It's the first time I've been here though, but I can already see why she loved it so much. There's a very nice community here."

"We're a family," she said quietly. "Of course, everyone has their friends, their own personal group, but if anyone needed any help, the whole town would support them; I know that from personal experience."

"Nice to know," David said, his head now clear with thoughts of his past. Mary Margaret simply smiled.

For the remainder of the morning, Emma, Henry and Mary Margaret sat with David, talking about various things; one of the biggest topics was Emma and Mary Margaret's new living arangement. As they spoke, David couldn't help but shake off a feeling of comfort, a feeling of being _home, _of being where he belonged. He watched Henry grin with chocolate cake smeared around his mouth, saw Emma laugh and wipe the sides of her son's mouth, and stared at the black-haired women in front of him. He had never been entirely sure of what it meant to have a sense of belonging, as he had always felt like the outcast. But here, now, after spending one morning with a handful of people he barely knew, he finally had an idea of what it meant.

"That David guy isn't that bad," Emma said, as she lounged across Mary Margaret's couch, a magazine in her hands. They had left Granny's about an hour ago, saying goodbye to David and dropping Henry home. Well, Mary Margaret had dropped Henry home. Regina was still very wary of Emma, her instant dislike definitely not a secret to anyone in the town. Then again, Regina didn't get on with very many people. She was very concealed, very private, the only person that she seemed fully commited to being Henry. In general, Mary Margaret didn't have a problem with Regina; she had known Regina since she was young, as they had both grown up in Storybrooke. They weren't close however, and Regina barely spoke to her, but Mary Margaret accepted that.

After Henry was home, Mary Margaret and Emma headed back to the apartment, which was now officially 'theirs'. It hadn't taken long for Emma to be shown around, and soon she had collapsed onto the couch, and laid there in silence. Well, in silence for a while, until her latest comment, which revolved around David.

"He's.. _interesting,"_ Mary Margaret said, leaning against the kitchen counter. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about him, but she felt something when David spoke to her, a strange feeling in her stomach that was hard to place. His blue eyes would lock on hers, holding her gaze, not letting her go, and she was unsure why she felt like that. She certainly hadn't felt anything like that before, not that she was aware of that.

"Interesting? That's the word you pick? You couldn't keep your eyes off of him the whole time," Emma muttered, and Mary Margaret sensed her rolling her eyes.

"I could too keep my eyes off of him," Mary Margaret huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "There's just something about him.. that I can't put my finger on."

"You've only just met him, you're not going to be able to read him like a book straight away," Emma said sighing, closing the magazine and rolling over onto her belly, resting her head on the arm of the couch, so she could see Mary Margaret.

"I know, but usually I can," Mary Margaret replied, frowning. "I can usually sust everyone out within a minute of knowing them, but with him.. it's different. I can't."

Emma raised a single eyebrow. "You usually can? Could you read me?"

"Oh, of course," Mary Margaret replied, brushing it off with a wave of a hand. "Scared of commitment, lifetime of running away from your problems, and you have a pretty large fear of losing."

Emma stared at her. "I'm not scared of commitment-"

"Of course you are."

"-nor have I spent a lifetime running-"

"You have."

"-and I am do not have a _pretty large fear _of losing."

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, looking at her.

"Fine," Emma replied, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "But how can you do that? You barely even know me, how can you figure out my whole life after knowing me for less than a second?"

"I don't know," Mary Margaret answered honestly. "A talent, I suppose. I just.. I can't read David, I can't figure him out. Yesterday, after I met him at the hospital, I couldn't break through his layers and understand him, but I just assumed it was because I had spoken to him just for a moment, not about anything personal, but today, this morning, I spent more than an hour talking to him, and I couldn't get anything. I got nothing."

Emma pulled herself up, and walked towards her. "Maybe it's because he's careful, maybe he knows how to hide and stop feelings showing. Heck, I'd like a leaf out of his book if that's the case."

"Maybe," Mary Margaret replied, fidling with the buttons of her cardigan. "I think something bad happened to him in the past; something he wants to forget." She could still remember the haunted look in his eyes as he spoke about wanting to leave his life behind. His eyes had gone glossy for a moment, and her heart had raced, terrified tears were going to leak out of his eyes. But they hadn't; he'd blinked, and they were gone.

Emma leaned against the kitchen counter beside her. "Or maybe it's just the fact that you're powers are wearing off."

"Oh no," Mary Margaret said with a laugh. "My _powers _are still intact. He's just a rather.. _advanced _case."

"Case, huh? What, is David your project now?"

"No," she answered, rolling her eyes. "He's just a mystery. A pretty good one at that."


	3. Date?

Not Quite A Fairytale

_Chapter 3: Date?_

Emma had only been living there for a few days, but already, Mary Margaret had altered her life-style, sub-conciously, around her new roommate. When she woke up, at around seven, she made two cups of coffee, two bowls of cereal (or toast or eggs, whatever she was making), and had it on the table for when Emma came down. She had already learned that Emma wasn't a morning person, but it seemed that Emma had altered her life-style too, by getting up at around a similiar time to Mary Margaret, in order to have breakfast with her, and eat the breakfast Mary Margaret had made her.

Emma had been offered a job by Sherriff Graham to be his deputy; she hadn't given him an answer yet. Mary Margaret knew that she was still fearful; taking a job made her stay in Storybrooke extremely pernament. Even though Emma had moved in with her, Mary Margaret knew the whole thing was a working process with Emma, one small step at a time; becoming a roommate was a pretty big step, and she had a feeling Emma was refraining from taking another big step for a while.

She hadn't seen David since Saturday. He had probably been at work, and she had been at work too, and there was a big chance it could be a while before she saw him again, seeing as he had lived in Storybrooke for a month before their first meeting. She hoped it wasn't another month until she saw him again.

Henry asked about him aswell. It seemed like the young boy had developed a close bond with David, latching onto him after knowing him for 5 seconds; then again, he always had been like that, bonding with strangers so easily. It actually scared her if she was being honest.

Nevertheless, every morning Henry would ask after David.

"Have you seen David again, Miss Blanchard?" He inquired.

"No, sorry Henry," she replied each day, giving him a symapthetic smile.

One morning, like normal, he asked again.

"Have you seen David again, Miss Blanchard?" He asked. There was something different in the way he was looking at her. A small twinkle in his eyes.

"No, I haven't Henry, he's probably just busy."

"Oh.. Well, I saw him!"

Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows, indicating for him to continue.

"I saw him yesterday; I went down to the arcade after school, and I saw him walking along, so I spoke to him and asked how he was and he said he good."

"That's great Henry," she said smiling, only slightly jealous that it was Henry who had bumped into him.

"Yes, but that's not all!" Henry exclaimed, grinning. Yes, there was definitely a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. He asked me about _you," _Henry said, clearly getting to the part he had been excited to tell her about.

She felt her heart hammer in her chest, a soft pink blush creeping up her neck. She bit her lip for a moment, closing her eyes, then opened them again and looked at Henry.

"Well, don't you want to know? What he asked me?"

She did. She did want to know.

"Well, seeing as you are so desperate to tell me, enlighten me."

Henry beamed with happiness.

"He asked how you were doing, and I told him that you were fine and that you and Emma were getting along well as roommates. He then asked how long you'd been my teacher for, and I told him for a few months, and he asked if you were a good teacher, and I told him that you were the best teacher in the world, because you are."

She smiled at him. "That was nice of you to say," she said, touched.

"It's the truth," Henry said with a shrug. "Anyway, we started talking about you, me and Emm and that, and then he asked, like really _casually, _if you were.. you know, seeing anyone."

Her eyes immediately widened, her pulse rising. Did he-? Could he really-?

"He asked you that?" She said, in disbelief. He couldn't have, surely he wouldn't ask Henry that, or would he?

"Not exactly them words, but he certainly implied it. He said something like, _"Does anyone else hang out with you three? Like, doesn't Miss Blanchard have a boyfriend or anything? _It was clear that he was trying to find out if you were seeing anyone."

Mary Margaret couldn't stop her pulse from rising. She was slightly unsure why her heart was beating so fast, why it felt like it was going to burst from her chest. Just because he had asked Henry a simple, kind of _personal _question, it didn't mean he was interested in her. Then again, it didn't mean that he wasn't interested in her. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything. She wasn't sure why she felt so happy to hear that David had asked after her, she wasn't sure why she wanted to see him so badly, she wasn't sure what on earth she was feeling.

"It might not have been.. _meant _in that way Henry," she told him quietly. "It might have just been a simple, normal question."

"Trust me Miss Blanchard," Henry said, as he started walking away to sit at his desk. "You didn't see his face when he asked. There was nothing normal about the way he asked that question. "

The Animal Shelter wasn't a bad place to work. David loved animals, especially dogs. But there wasn't really an animal he didn't like. He went to visit them each day, making sure they were all fed, cleaned, and for some, he made sure they had taken their medication. He had been called into helping Doc with surgery a few times, nothing life-threatening though. He had helped a dog who broke his leg, which had to be pinned back into place, and he had helped with a cat who had suffered minor internal bleeding. He loved his new job very much, a lot more than his old one, then again, he didn't like to think about that. He was still haunted by what he had seen, what he had lived through, and he tried to push it, along with everything else, to the back of his mind; of course, it wasn't always so easy.

His apartment was nice; it was close to the docks, and when he looked out his window, he saw the view of the sea, of the boats moored up, the world at his reach. His apartment was of a reasonable size; he had two bedrooms (one was filled up with cardboard boxes, many items still needing to be unpacked). He had a small kitchen, large enough for himself however, and a comfortable sized living room. He also had a small bath room, close to the bedroom he was using.

He had been going out more now; he worked four days a week, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday being his days off. He spent the days he had off exploring the small town; he had ventured out into the woods a few times, enjoying the scenic area, and he had visited most shops, getting used to his new area.

He hadn't seen Mary Margaret again, nor had he seen Emma, but he had seen Henry. And he may, _or may not,_ have asked too many questions about the boys school teacher. Okay, he definitely asked too many questions about the boy's school teacher. He felt drawn to her, her emerald green eyes always capturing his own, and he wanted nothing more than to spend more time in her prescence. Of course, he had come to the idea one night that maybe she was seeing someone, and he had found himself asking Henry, casually, if she was in a relationship.

"Does anyone else hang out with you three?" He had asked, while talking to Henry about him, his Mother and his school teacher. "Doesn't Miss Blanchard have a boyfriend that hangs out with you sometimes?"

Henry had grinned, clearly getting what he was playing at, and he couldn't believe he had thought that Henry wouldn't notice him asking after her love life.

"Oh no," Herny said, unable to wipe the smirk of his face. "Miss Blanchard doesn't have a boyfriend, she's single."

David nodded, trying hard to stop a small smile from appearing on his face. "Oh, right."

He had no doubt that Henry had told his teacher, and he while he was hoping to see her again, he was also embarrassed. The one good thing that had came from asking Henry, was that at least he knew she was single.

On the next Saturday morning, a whole week since he had seen Mary Margaret and Emma, David decided to go for a jog. He pulled on a tank top, and long shorts, and tied up his shoe laces, and set out early. He started round the docks, jogging lightly, before sprinting down the road, towards Toll bridge, where he began jogging lightly again. He crossed the bridge, the cool air brushing nicely against his skin, and entered the woods. The woods were quiet, the only noise coming from the soft hum of the birds. He zig-zagged through the trees, sprinting for a few minutes, then back to jogging. The trees were tall, blocking out some of the sunlight, so only patches of the forest were light. His heart was beating fast as he round a corner, finally starting to lose his breath. He stopped, clasping his hand to his chest, as he leaned against a tree trunk for support, closing his eyes.

He stayed there for a while, his breathing slowly going back to normal. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the peacefull woodland noises much more than those of traffic and cars that he would wake up to in New York.

A snap of a branch made him jump, his eyes pinging open. His eyes darted through the trees, and he saw a figure making its way through.

A figure with black hair and green eyes.

Mary Margaret.

She was wearing a purple coat and black sweat pants, her pink trainers muddy. She hadn't noticed him, atleast not yet. But she would in a minute, he knew it. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, before stepping away from the tree.

"Mary Margaret," he said simply.

Her eyes found him automatically, and she smiled lightly when she saw him.

_"David."_

She made her way towards him, stopping when they were a few feet apart.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question," she replied, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"I went for a run," he told her. "I like running in the mornings, and the woods is the perfect place for that."

"That is very true," she said, nodding.

"So, what are you doing?" He asked again, stepping closer to her.

"Oh, I usually go for a walk some mornings, the fresh air helps clear my head," she said. "And the woods is full of fresh air."

"So it is," he said grinning.

She smiled at him, putting both of her hands in her coat pockets. "Henry said he saw you the other day; he was very happy, he's been asking about you for a while. I think he likes you."

"Nice to know," he said, running a hand through his hair. "What did he say?"

"Oh, you know," she said shrugging, her eyes flickering to the ground. "He said you were good.."

"Did he say anything else?" David asked. It was clear he had. She wouldn't be looking at the ground like that if he hadn't.

"He said you asked after me," Mary Margaret said, shifting her eyes back up to him. "I thought that was nice of you."

"You're one of the only people I have spoken to more than once," he said grinning. "I don't have a lot of friends around here yet, and making friends is hard enough as it is, especially when you're an adult."

"We're friends, David," she said, a bright smile coming appearing on her face. "Of course we're friends, trust me, you officially have a friend."

He laughed, and she giggled, which was strangely beautiful. "That's nice to know," he said honestly. "Maybe we can meet up again? This time actually, you know, arranged. I don't want to have to wait another week for me to run into your again."

"Neither do I," she replied. "Maybe we should meet up for a coffee or something, or maybe lunch? I could meet you for lunch tomorrow? I think I'm free."

He sighed, groaning. "I would love to, really I would, but I work until three tomorrow, and that is kind of late to have lunch."

She nodded, biting her lip. She looked adorable when she did that. "Okay," she said, after a moment's silence. "How about dinner?"

His eyes widened. Lunch and coffee were something that _friends _did. Dinner, dinner was something completely different. A man and a woman going out for dinner? It sounded very much like a date, but he wasn't sure if it was or not. He was definitely getting mixed signals. She had said they were friends, but now she was asking him to have dinner with her, and he wasn't sure where that stood with her. And he couldn't exactly ask because that would make him sound like an idiot, and he didn't want her to laugh at him, no, definitely not.

"Sure," he said, once he had found his voice. "Dinner sounds.. _great."_

"Okay," she said, a blush rising on her cheeks. "I'll meet you at Granny's? At.. half past six?"

"Okay," he murmured, his heart pounding, this time not because he had been running. "I'll see you at six."

"So, what you're telling me, is that you kind of, sort of, asked David on a date?"

"No! I don't- I don't know!" Mary Margaret yelled, falling onto the couch. "He said he'd like to meet up again, so I brought up the idea of having lunch tomorrow, but he was working, so I mentioned dinner, but dinner usually means you know, like a date, and he accepted, and now I don't know what it is, especially since I said to him that we were friends about a minute before the whole 'dinner' thing."

"And now you're confused about how to treat it."

"Exactly."

"Well," Emma said, raising her beer bottle to her lips. "I say, treat it like a date; dress up nice, do a bit of flirting, see what happens."

"I don't want to make a fool of myself," Mary Margaret muttered, her voice slightly muffled as she had burried her face into a cushion.

"You won't! He clearly likes you, I mean, he asked _Henry _about your love life. _Henry."_

"I know," she sighed, raising her head. "But that's not all that I'm worried about; _I suck at dates."_

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Well," Mary Margaret said, propping herself up on her elbows. "I hardly go on any dates, _any, _and when I do, it never leads to a second one; I haven't been in a relationship since I was in college. I just, I just can't do dates."

Emma frowned, taking another sip of beer. "What usually goes wrong? What went wrong with Whale again?"

"Well, other than the fact that he spent the majority of the night sneaking glances at Ruby's behind-"

"He was obviously bored then."

Mary Margaret sat up, shocked. "Are you saying I'm boring?"

"Of course that isn't what I'm saying," Emma said, taking a seat beside Mary Margaret. "You just bored _him;_ what did you talk about?"

Mary Margaret thought for a moment, before wincing slightly. "I might have mentioned how I wanted kids-"

"You didn't!"

"-and how I wanted marriage-"

"Mary Margaret!"

"-and how I wanted true love."

Emma groaned heavily, closing her eyes. "You. Don't. Ever. Mention. Marriage. And. Children. On. A. First. Date. Come on, it's standard rules!"

"I'm sorry!" Mary Margaret whined. "He just wasn't paying attention to me, and I got nervous and I rambled."

"You need to control your rambling tomorrow," Emma ordered, giving her a hard look. "And you need to make sure you don't mention anything about children, or marriage, or true love, or you will scare David off, and then you will be gutted because you like him."

She didn't protest. She just sighed. "Fine. _Fine."_

"And.." Emma said, this time gentler. "I saw what you wore on your date with Dr Whale; you need to wear something abit more.. you know, _interesting."_

"Why!"

"Because, your outfit is the first thing a man sees, and sorry to tell you, but Whale wasn't such a fan of your blouses and cardigans; I'm helping you chose what to wear."

Mary Margaret arched an eyebrow. "Nothing too slutty, I don't want to make a fool of myself."

"Okay."

Mary Margaret wasn't sure if it was a date or not, but if was a date, she wanted to make sure she did it right.

* * *

><p><em>An: Thanks for the reviews! It seems a few of you are interested in David's past.. don't worry, you'll find out soon (: Oh, someone asked if David in this story is more like cursed David or Charming. To answer that, I'll say he's a bit of both. Maybe slightly more on the cursed David side simply because it will suit this story more._


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